


River of Dry Bones

by Hayloft (Auriel)



Category: Unus Annus - Fandom
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Gen, I sat through the whole livestream and apparently that worked in my favor, Mental Health Issues, Not Beta Read, ish? they talk briefly about it, very dialogue heavy, why isn't unus annus a fandom yet what
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:28:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27680726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Auriel/pseuds/Hayloft
Summary: "Is it just a natural instinct, then? To fear the unknown even when you’re prepared for it?"---Unus and Annus watch the livestream and chat about death, the afterlife, and mental health/mental illness.
Relationships: Mark Fischbach & Amy Nelson & Ethan Nestor, Unus & Annus
Kudos: 7





	River of Dry Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Hello folks! This fic was entirely written out of spite and wanting to have a new well-written piece I haven't shared with anyone yet skdlfngkdsfg on another note though, I humanized Unus and Annus a lot in this fic, and I really like how it turned out. I managed to make my brother cry so that's an accomplishment i guess. As I was typing I could hear exactly what they would say.
> 
> One thing I don't see brought up is that Mark and Ethan have both mentioned that they WILL have their own grieving periods, it WILL hit them just as hard as it hit us. So to accomodate for that, I gave them anxiety towards the end. After all, this is quite literally their death. Even if you are content with your life, the anticipation on what happens next tends to frighten most of us. As I said later in this fic, we fear the unknown.

“Did you make the most of this year? I know we always emphasize that question, and we always say that ‘yes we did’ but do you  _ truly _ believe that?” Annus turns slightly to face Unus. The ticking of the clock is heard in the background as wisps of black and white swirl around the pair. Unus turns to face him, eyebrows furrowing briefly as he frowns. He smiles briefly, before saying,

“...yea... I think I did.” leaning his head back, he rests it against the armchair he’s in. “I didn’t get everything I wanted done, but I did the best that I could with what I had, both emotionally, mentally, and physically. I think we both did.” Annus follows him, letting out a sigh as he sinks into his own. The contrasting black and white making their suits stand out as the room is painted in monochrome.

“Y’know, one thing I never quite got was this lingering dread that I’ve had. I’m excited and at peace with what we’ve made, but it still lingers. Is it just a natural instinct, then? To fear the unknown even when you’re prepared for it? I feel satisfied. Why then, am I also terrified for the end?” A white tear slipped out as the timer reached ten minutes. He fiddles with the rim of his new hat in his hands.

“I think it’s what makes us human, y'know? We all die eventually, but none of us really know what’s on the other side- if there even  _ is _ one. It could be the fear that we  _ didn’t _ make the most of what we had. We could’ve gone bigger, harder, faster, even if we know that logically it wasn’t possible. We would have burned ourselves out.” Unus lowers his head, sighing. He could feel the thrum of anxiety and anticipation deep in his bones.

Clasping his now unsteady hands together, he leans forward, hunching over and placing his elbows on his knees. “I think… it’s also a consequence of living in a neurotypical world that doesn’t accommodate you. I mean, you and I got stuck with Mark and Ethan’s ADHD, so we can somewhat understand their struggle. This world puts neurotypical expectations on us from when we’re a young age, and if you can’t meet them then you’re simply not trying hard enough.” 

Memories, not his, fill his mind as he mentally recounts his counterpart’s struggles growing up. “And that’s not even counting the people who have been misdiagnosed or those who are underdiagnosed.” He looks back up to Annus, whose gaze is turned up to the ceiling- if you can even call it that. The solid split of the room almost creates an invisible boundary, one that’s disrupted by the small tv sitting in front of them. He can hear Mark, Amy, and Ethan preparing for the end, hovering over the delete button of a video before deciding not to delete it. To let it live as long as the rest of the channel. Annus makes a hum of acknowledgement, eyes flickering to his companion.

“Well, it’s good that kids will have some people to look up to like them. They can look at Mark and Ethan and say ‘see, they’re like me and look at how much they’ve accomplished! I can do that too’. But of course, there’s more than likely going to be  _ some _ who feel off-put by them. They might feel guilty, they can’t seem to accomplish as much, can’t work as long as them,” he smiles as he lifts his hands, gesturing as he talks, “but they  _ are _ doing the best they can. If someone has depression and can’t do more than get their laundry done or take a shower, then they did the best they could! Mental health is always a struggle, especially things like depression. You’ll look around and think ‘why can’t I just  _ do _ it, like them?’ or you might procrastinate, getting lost in fiction as you try to mentally escape reality. In the end, people tend to forget that their mental health is just as important as their physical health!” they both look off to the sides, awkwardly thinking of Mark’s workaholic tendencies.

“Haha, yea, that happens to people a lot.” Unus glances over to the clock, eyes widening as his breath leaves him in a gust. ‘ _ Oh my god _ ’

One minute left.

Annus seems to have realized the same thing. A shudder runs through him, as his anxiety swells briefly. ‘ _ This is it… _ ’ a laugh bubbles out of him, “guess time really flies when you’re having fun.”

Thirty seconds.

A bitter smile makes it’s way onto Unus’s face. “... I’ll miss you Annus”

“What? Even if we make it to the same space?” the joke comes out slightly strained.

“... yea, until I see you again, I guess. And if this is all there is to it? Then I won’t have the capacity to miss you, I won’t have the capacity to  _ exist _ either. I don’t think our brains are able to fully comprehend us simply  _ not _ existing anymore. And because of that, many fear death. They’re scared that this is all there is to it.”

Ten.

“... I’ll miss you too, buddy…”

Five.

“Goodbye… and memento… mori”

One.


End file.
